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Action Force (weekly) 1
Action Force #1 was released on 1st March 1987. Original material Gun Boat! In London Lady Jaye and Flint arrive at West India Dock for a boat party. Flint is reluctant with the espionage but Lady Jaye reminds him it was his idea: :Two hours earlier Trent briefs Action Force in their secret base in London about Destro's latest arms deal. At the boat party a consignment of weapons will be passed by Destro's organisation Military Armaments Research Systems to Cobra. The weapons are already on board and Action Force's task is to stop the boat reaching the open sea with the cargo intact. Flint explains that the party is genuine making the operation harder and there is no time to get back-up from either the US or Geneva. He assigns Lady Jaye and himself to infiltrate the party, secure the bridge and evacuate the party goers. Barbecue and Shipwreck are assigned to board via a dinghy, with Shipwreck disabling the motors and Barbecue setting incendiary bombs on the arms cache. Footloose, who is dubious about Action Force taking the assignment, is assigned as look-out and communications. Flint and Lady Jaye board the boat. Footloose watches but does not see anything unusual when a van pulls up and two chefs go on board with a large cake. Once aboard they change clothes to reveal themselves as Cobra Commander and Destro. Destro doesn't trust Cobra Commander and so insists on their own presence for the business deal. He also points out he is not on Cobra's side, he is a businessman who would deal with Action Force if they weren't idealists and unwilling to meet his prices. Cobra Commander smashes open the cake icing to reveal a case containing the payment in cash. Shipwreck and Barbecue board the boat, encountering a Cobra agent in disguise, but Shipwreck shoots him down. However an Eel attacks Footloose, but is overcome. Shipwreck sets off smoke bombs to signal he has disabled the motor and Lady Jaye shouts fire to evacuate the boat. Flint goes to the bridge, only to encounter three Eels, Cobra Commander and Destro. Cobra Commander declares that Footloose is almost certainly dead and Barbecue is being dealt with, making the Action Force operation a shambles. Storm Shadow enters and reports that he has dealt with Barbecue but was unable to prevent him priming the charges he set or defuse them and so Cobra has four minutes to escape, without time to take the weapons with them. Suddenly Footloose fires on the bridge and Flint uses the distraction to retrieve his gun. Destro has had a Cobra Hyrdofoil on standby and he and Cobra Commander board it and flee. The Action Force members jump off the boat just before the explosion detonates. Later Barbecue tells the others he remembers setting the charges and then waking up in the water. Flint can't understand why a proficient ninja assassin like Storm Shadow didn't make sure Barbecue was dead and Footloose notes that as his team-mate only set the charges so "Who primed them?" Featured characters Featured Vehicles & Equipment Errors * The setting is described as "London's Dockland". It should be "London's Docklands". Items of note *This story was later reprinted in Action Force Monthly #7 and #8. Reprinted material The first seven pages of "Best Defense" from ''G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' #50 was reprinted. For the UK printing the spelling was anglicised to "Best Defence". Intelligence Profile This issue contained the first in the Intelligence Profile series of factfiles. This issue profiled Flint, here given the real name "David R. Faireborn" and the birthplace of "Lincoln, England". Action Force toy adverts *The issue includes a two-page advert for the Dragonfly XH-1 & Wild Bill, also highlighting the F.A.N.G., the Ferret A.T.V., the Armadillo mini tank, the Water Moccasin, Destro, Flint and Lady Jaye. Free gift Issue #2 came bagged free with this issue. Action Force 01